Freedom251 › Music streaming services
Rakuten Music
What Rakuten Music is
Rakuten Music is a music listening service available through the web, Android, and iOS. Rakuten Music, its maker, was founded in 2016. The service has a free plan and a 30-day trial, and it supports offline listening. Maximum audio quality is standard; lossless audio and a family plan are not available. Plans cover different listening needs. Bundle allows 10 hours per 30 days, while Lite allows 20 hours per 30 days. Standard provides unlimited listening, full functionality without song restrictions, and offline playback. Eligible Rakuten Card or Rakuten Mobile customers can use a separate member plan with unlimited listening and offline playback. A Student plan is for ages 15–25 and can be used for up to six years. The service therefore offers a choice between limited listening allowances, unlimited options, student eligibility, or access tied to qualifying Rakuten membership.
Who it suits
Rakuten Music suits listeners using Android, iOS, or the web who want a free starting option or offline playback. It also fits students aged 15–25 and eligible Rakuten Card or Rakuten Mobile customers.
What it does well
- Free plan and 30-day trial
- Available on web, Android, and iOS
- Offline listening supported
- Student plan for ages 15–25
- Unlimited plans include offline playback
What to know first
- Maximum audio quality is standard
- No lossless audio
- No family plan
- Some plans limit listening hours
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Lite | 20 hours per 30 days | On request |
| Standard | Every 30 days, tax included; unlimited listening · All functions · no song limits | $980 a month |
| Student | Every 30 days, tax included; ages 15–25 and Rakuten student membership · Unlimited listening · maximum six-year eligibility | $480 a month |
| Bundle | No automatic billing; eligibility tied to Rakuten Mobile, Rakuten membership rank or specified cards · 10 or 5 hours playback per 30 days · some downloads/full playback unavailable · no Web full playback | Free |
| Light | Every 30 days, tax included · 20 hours playback per 30 days · some songs limited to 30-second previews | ¥500 a month |
| Annual Light | Every 360 days, tax included; about ¥417 per month · 20 hours playback per 30 days · some songs limited | ¥5,000 a year |
| Rakuten Card/Mobile member | Every 30 days, tax included; eligible Rakuten members only · Unlimited listening · all functions | ¥780 a month |
| Annual Standard | Every 360 days, tax included; about ¥775 per month · Unlimited listening · all functions | ¥9,300 a year |
As music.rakuten.co.jp lists them, read 21 Sept 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
Rakuten Music offers flexible listening allowances alongside unlimited plans and offline playback. Standard audio quality, no lossless option, and no family plan define its limits.
Facts from Rakuten Music's own pages
- Ad-free listening
- The service advertises music playback without advertising interruptions. · music.rakuten.co.jp, 15 Oct 2026
- AI availability limit
- The AI music agent is for paid plans and excludes Bundle-plan users; rollout began gradually on Android. · global.rakuten.com, 15 Oct 2026
- AI feature
- Rakuten AI for Music lets paid subscribers search for artists, songs, albums and playlists with natural-language requests. · global.rakuten.com, 15 Oct 2026
- API scope
- Rakuten Web Services documents APIs for Ichiba, Books, Travel, Recipe, Kobo and GORA, and explicitly says no other Rakuten services are provided; Rakuten Music is not listed. · webservice.faq.rakuten.net, 15 Oct 2026
- App data disclosure
- Google Play says the app may share personal information, app activity and app-performance information with third parties. · play.google.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Maximum audio quality
- standard · music.rakuten.co.jp, 21 Sept 2026
- Background playback
- The app supports background playback while users do other tasks. · play.google.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Bundle eligibility
- Bundle access is provided to Rakuten Mobile Strongest Plan users, Diamond/Platinum/Gold members and Rakuten Black or Premium Card holders. · corp.rakuten.co.jp, 15 Oct 2026
- Bundle restrictions
- After the Bundle playback allowance is consumed, playback becomes 30-second previews and several functions are disabled. · corp.rakuten.co.jp, 15 Oct 2026
- Charts
- Charts and trend rankings are provided for discovering popular music. · music.rakuten.co.jp, 15 Oct 2026
- Company founded
- Rakuten Group states it was founded on February 7, 1997. · global.rakuten.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Company headquarters
- Rakuten Group lists its head office at Rakuten Crimson House, 1-14-1 Tamagawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, Japan. · global.rakuten.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Company legal name
- The operating legal entity is Rakuten Group, Inc. (楽天グループ株式会社). · global.rakuten.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Company size
- Rakuten reports 29,419 consolidated employees and 9,989 non-consolidated employees as of December 31, 2025. · global.rakuten.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Developer onboarding
- Rakuten Web Services requires registering an application to obtain an application ID and access key, with up to five apps per developer. · webservice.rakuten.co.jp, 15 Oct 2026
- Family plan
- No · music.rakuten.co.jp, 21 Sept 2026
- Founded
- 2016 · music.rakuten.co.jp, 28 Sept 2026
- Free plan
- Yes · music.rakuten.co.jp, 21 Sept 2026
- Licence
- The public app listings identify Rakuten Group as developer and provide no open-source licence; the consumer app is distributed as a proprietary service. · play.google.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: casting integration
- A Google Play reviewer complained that Rakuten Music cannot be selected as a Google Home provider and has no cast function. · play.google.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: missing tracks
- App Store reviewers repeatedly reported that notable songs and artists are absent despite the advertised large catalog, with cover or karaoke duplicates appearing instead. · apps.apple.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: playback bugs
- App Store complaints describe offline playlists stopping, tracks becoming unavailable and repeat or skip controls failing. · apps.apple.com, 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: recent outage reports
- DIGLE documented user reports of problems after a May 2026 update and quoted Rakuten's request for incident details. · mag.digle.tokyo, 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: update requirement
- An App Store reviewer criticized forced updates while in offline mode and said shuffle often repeats tracks from the same album. · apps.apple.com, 15 Oct 2026
Where Rakuten Music stands on Freedom251
- Music streaming services#17 of 62
- Music streaming services with a student plan#8 of 14
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- Free music streaming services#34 of 43